Iteris Chosen by Ford Motor Co. as Exclusive Source for Lane Departure Warning System
16 August 2000
Iteris Chosen by Ford Motor Co. as Exclusive Source for Lane Departure Warning System
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Iteris Inc., a subsidiary of Odetics Inc. , has reached an agreement with Ford Motor Co. to become the exclusive supplier of the optical lane departure warning systems to be installed on future Ford, Lincoln and Mercury badged vehicles produced and sold in North America.This agreement marks Iteris's initial entry into the domestic consumer automotive market with AutoVue, the first video-based in-vehicle sensor to be made available to consumers on vehicles as early as model year 2003.
"Our agreement with Ford literally paves the way for our AutoVue product becoming a standard option on consumer vehicles in the United States," said Francis Memole, vice president of vehicle sensors for Iteris. "Ford manufactures more than 7 million cars and trucks worldwide per year. As a result of this agreement, we could be shipping as many as 50,000 units the first year alone. Consumers could see our lane departure warning systems on vehicles as early as mid-year 2002 on the 2003 models."
Dave McNamara, engineering manager for Ford Motor Co. said, "It's this type of 'smart technology' that we at Ford feel can enhance the safety of our vehicles."
In addition to the purchase agreement, Ford has agreed to help promote the lane departure warning system feature on their Mazda, Jaguar, Ford of Europe and Volvo brands. Lane departures are the number one cause of fatal accidents in the United States accounting for more than 39 percent of crash-related fatalities.
The AutoVue lane departure warning system was designed to address the growing number of accidents caused by drowsy and inattentive drivers by warning drivers of an unintended lane departure before it occurs.
Recently the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has claimed that as many as 1,575,000 accidents annually are caused by distracted drivers; a large percentage of which can be attributed to unintended lane departures. Lane departures are also identified by the government as a major cause of rollover incidents involving sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and light trucks.
The AutoVue system uses a highly sensitive, computerized camera and a combination of sophisticated lane recognition algorithms and proprietary image recognition software and hardware to track lane markings in the road. AutoVue is a compact device that resides inside the vehicle on the windshield.
When the AutoVue system detects that an unintended lane change is about to occur, it alerts the driver by emulating a distinctive rumble strip sound, allowing the driver time to correct the situation in a controlled manner. This particular alarm sound was chosen after thorough research proved it to be most effective for warning a driver without causing them to overreact.
AutoVue works effectively both day and night and in most weather conditions where the lane markings are visible. By simply using the turn signal, a driver indicates to the system that a planned lane departure is intended and the alarm does not sound.
In June of this year, Iteris accomplished the industry's first large-scale deployment of video-based in-vehicle sensors with the production order shipment of its AutoVue lane departure warning system to DaimlerChrysler in Europe. The AutoVue system is currently available as an option on Mercedes Actros trucks.
About Iteris Inc.
Iteris, a subsidiary of Odetics, is a leading provider of advanced information, software and sensor technologies that improve the efficiency and safety of surface transportation. Iteris has combined information technology, system integration and applied sensors to offer a broad range of transportation solutions.